That’s why two recent items of sports news ranked in the disappointing category.

The first was news that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was attempting to persuade a full U.S. circuit court of appeals to hear his appeal of a four-game suspension. National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Brady for his part in a cheating scandal called “Deflategate” involving under-inflated footballs.

It’s just another example of shady behavior by the Patriots, a very successful team with questionable ethics. At least in this case, Goodell tried to discipline Brady, a fine quarterback who appeared willing to cheat to win another Super Bowl. In fact, the Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks in a thrilling Super Bowl in 2015, but it’s possible New England wouldn’t have even played in the game without cheating. The Patriots are lucky the NFL did not strip them of the Super Bowl title. We hope Brady loses his appeal and eventually takes his punishment like a man.

Meanwhile, Draymond Green, who plays for the defending champion Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association, was fined $25,000 for a flagrant foul against Oklahoma City center Steven Adams. Green kicked Adams in the groin, but he wasn’t even penalized by missing Tuesday night’s game against the Thunder. The NBA’s decision to only levy a fine against Green smacks of typical decision-making by sports leagues: Smack players on the wrists, but don’t do anything that would interfere with box-office receipts.

The vicious blow by Green should have resulted in suspension from play, not a fine that today’s highly paid athletes don’t care about.

We’d like to see sports leagues get tougher with their pampered players, who should show sportsmanlike conduct. At least Major League Baseball has been more forthright in reducing the scourge of the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs by major league players in recent years.

Sports is not the only venue in which people try to cheat in hopes of monetary rewards and glory. Politics has been given a bad name by liars, prevaricators, folks who mislead or toss out straw men or who pontificate in the absence of actually telling people where they stand.

Much has been made about lack of truthfulness by the two leading candidates for president, businessman Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Their honesty, or lack of it, will be an issue for voters to assess in the coming months.

Montanans realize their vote for president usually doesn’t mean much, however. It’s a rare presidential election in which the outcome would be swayed by Montana’s three electoral votes (that’s the number of our U.S. senators, two, plus our one congressman).

Rather than obsess about presidential politics, we should pay attention to folks running close to home. This year, Montana voters will choose their governor, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, members of the state Legislature, including about half the 50 senators and all of the members of the Montana House of Representatives. We can surely make a difference in who sits in our state Capitol, in the governor’s office and in the U.S. House of Representatives on behalf of Montanans.

Hold candidates to high standards for honesty in their campaigns, willingness to work hard if elected, and tactics they use to try to win. Ethics and fair play may be lacking in politics, but Montana’s voters can play a role in trying to influence the behavior of their political leaders. Vote against sleazy candidates, and support those who are honest and forthright. And if you don’t like slimy third-party advertising, ask the candidate who benefits whether he or she would repudiate this type of slam. If the candidate won’t disavow the ad, that should tell the voter something.